GERZEAN WARE JAR, Egypt, Predynastic, Nagada II (3650-3300 BC). Buff pottery with red painted decor showing spirals and zigzags signifying water. H: 12cm.

Ceremonial vessel, Egypt, Predynastic Nagada III (3700-3600 BC). Red decoration of water and water eddies, height 12 cm.
Provenance: Sten Walter Wångstedt, inventory number W16, later Lennart Diener / Provenance: Sten Walter Wångstedt (W16), later Lennart Diener.

This was the first painted pottery in Egypt. The wave-shaped representation of water later formed the basis of the hieroglyph "water".

Expertise: Geoffrey Metz, ex. Antiquary Gustavianum - Uppsala THE ESSENCE OF EGYPT In the meeting between two soulful personalities, uniqueness happens.

Lennart Diener and Sten Valter Wångstedt developed just such an acquaintance.

One result of that, Crafoord Auktioner Stockholm can now present in about forty auctions of rare historical dignity: Lennart Diener's extraordinary collection of ancient Egyptian objects, up to roughly 5,000 years old and very rare.

Associate professor and senior physician Lennart Diener was a forerunner in the use of X-ray technology. Already during his studies in the 1940s, he became interested in ethnography and Egyptology, especially from the point of view of the history of medicine. As head of X-ray diagnostics at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, he then became internationally known for his work examining mummies. He made a series of trips to Egypt where he was also invited to lecture at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. He also lectured at medical history symposiums in the Nordic countries, wrote frequently in the Swedish Medical History Journal and was appointed director of the Medical History Museum.

Sten Valter Wångstedt was one of the truly great names in both Swedish and international Egyptology. He was a docent at Uppsala University's Department of Egyptology, participated in excavations and was world-renowned for his specialist knowledge of a very limited area – the ancient Egyptian written language Demotic.

Sten Valter Wångstedt was 1955-1970 director of the Egyptian department at the Mediterranean Museum in Stockholm. It was during that period that he and Lennart Diener began working together and became good friends. Wångstedt sold many interesting objects to Diener from his own collection, all carefully museum marked and catalogued. The rest was donated to Uppsala University's museum Gustavianum, where it can be found today.

Lennart Diener's collection is superb.

The objects include a wooden cosmetic spoon, an ushapti that probably accompanied the foreman Bak-wer into the tomb, a 3,700-year-old painted wooden bull in remarkably good condition from a farmhouse assemblage, and a 5,500-year-old Predynastic ceremonial vessel with a painted decoration that evolved into the hieroglyph for water.

This is a special occasion for both collectors and us at Crafoord Auktioner Stockholm, with objects of obvious international stature, backed by first-class provenance and the other half of which you will only find at Uppsala University's Gustavianum.

THE ESSENCE OF EGYPT Lennart Diener and Sten Valter Wångstedt shared a strong interest in ethnography and Egyptology.
That is how they became good friends, and that is why Crafoord Auktioner Stockholm can present an extraordinary collection of ancient Egyptian objects with provenance of both of them.
Associate professor and chief physician Lennart Diener was a pioneer in the use of X-ray technology. Already during his studies in the 1940s, he became interested in ethnography and Egyptology, especially from a medical historical point of view. As responsible for X-ray diagnostics at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, he became internationally known for his work with examining mummies. He made a series of trips to Egypt for that purpose, and got invited to lecture at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. He also lectured at medical symposiums in the Nordic countries, wrote frequently in the Swedish Journal of Medical History and was appointed director of the Museum of Medical History in Stockholm.
Sten Valter Wångstedt established himself as a leading authority in Egyptology in both Sweden and internationally. He was an associate professor at Uppsala University, participated in excavations and was world famous for his expertise in a very limited subject - the ancient Egyptian demotic language. Sten Valter Wångstedt was director of the Egyptian department at the Mediterranean Museum in Stockholm 1955-1970. During this time he and Lennart Diener began to collaborate and became good friends. Wångstedt sold many interesting items to Diener from his own collection, all carefully museum-labelled and catalogued. The rest was donated to Uppsala University's Gustavianum museum where it remains today.
The Lennart Diener collection is superb.
The highlights include a wooden cosmetic spoon, a ushapti who probably followed the foreman Bak-wer in the grave, a 3,700-year-old painted wooden bull in remarkably good condition from a farm set and a 5,500-year-old pre-dynastic ceremonial vessel with a painted decor that developed into hieroglyphs for water.
This is a special occasion for both collectors and us at Crafoord Auktioner Stockholm, with very rare objects of obvious international height, backed by a first-class provenance. The other half of this collection, submitted by Wångstedt, can only be found at Uppsala University's Gustavianum.